Of Scales and Feathers
by Wakadooia
Summary: An exiled Zora living on his own has no idea what he's getting himself into when he rescues an injured Rito patroller. Both of their lives are inexplicably brought together in an adventure filled with danger, romance, and suspense! (Zelda BotW AU, wont update fast as it's a side/back-burner project)
1. Chapter 1

The edge of the Zora's domain was perfect for an outcast.

It was peaceful and quiet, little to be bothered by and little to bother.

Apart from the beasts and monsters.

But that was what made this place great!

All the vicious creatures forced out by the 'employed' Zora guards lived on the outskirts of the domain with him.

A constant supply of things to fight.

He'd show them how to REALLY protect their land.

Galvatron may be a retired royal guard, but he still ripped shreds out of beasts.

Then again, he wasn't exactly old or of 'retiring' age.

He was allowed to go, so he did.

He'd spent all his life being ridiculed; fighting just to get by; and then got employed to fight and then be ridiculed at the same time.

No, that wouldn't do, he didn't need to fight for those that shunned him, so he left and continued his fight for life far away from everyone else.

He lived in the danger zone.

He lived near Rito territory.

The monsters were an ever-present danger but the occasional Rito patrol was something fun to spy on and avoid.

To glare at and mumble angrily.

The two races shared a common ancestor, yet generations ago there was an incident and both sides blamed each other.

They had been warring ever since.

Although for many, many years now the war had quietened down, border patrols were still quite vicious and trespassers may or may not lose a few limbs or lives if discovered.

Galvatron had fought Rito before, how could he not?

A royal guard during times of tension? It was inevitable.

But that was behind him now, now it was just lingering feelings of bitterness.

Bitterness at most things that crossed his path.

The little coral-based nest was nice and comfortable, it let Galvatron nestle himself in-between the wall and the sandy floor of his home.

Droplets of sunlight slowly shifted back and forth as they decorated the sands with their wavy patterns and details. It at least made the water warm as Galvatron pushed his way out of his little cubbyhole of a nest.

It wasn't worth putting on his clothes.

Not that they counted as clothes really.

A belt with two sashes of yellow fabric stitched on that moved closer together at the front, covering his groin.

And that was it.

Galvatron couldn't be bothered with it today and left it in a small chest that contained his belongings.

Besides he could hear something…

Yes, something was making a racket and it was annoying.

Swimming out of the small network of coral tubes that made up his home Galvatron kept himself pressed close as possible to the floor so as not to disturb the disturber.

Out of his cave Galvatron could see the clear rise in the sands as the lake thinned out to reach it's beach, along the nearby area several huge lumps of mossy rocks made lovely hiding places for a variety of life.

The life that was bringing Galvatrons attention wasn't even below water.

The light filtering through the water's surface pulsed as the lake was disturbed by something.

The surface rippled violently as something moved along it.

Peering from below Galvatron couldn't see much through the distortion of the water's surface but he could see something blue and four two-pronged feet skimming the surface.

A blue Tektite.

A simple enough problem.

Standing on the warm sands near the lakes edge, Galvatron crouched.

One good upward push was enough, his streamlined body shot upwards, the water parted quickly for his purple form as it sped forth.

The Tektite had little time to react as Galvatron shouldered the beast in its underside, it's four feet losing their careful stance on the water, sending its body under the surface.

Galvatron wrapped his arms around the body, hoping to make the best of it being stunned.

His claws scrabbled against its underside, trying to wrestle the beast over but it didn't remain stunned for long as it's legs curled round, two claws attempting to swipe at the unwanted touch.

Squirming against the beasts' underside Galvatron couldn't move without placing himself in direct line of the arching claws, the tumbling fight gently thumped into the sandy floor prompting the Tektite to start wobbling violently from side-to-side as it found leverage against the stable surface.

With panic fuelling him as the big insect managed to put itself upright on the sands Galvatron jutted his arm out, bringing his hand down on the beasts' big eye.

The squishy organ quickly throbbed in his grip as the Tektite spewed forth a shriek that died in a sea of bubbles underwater.

With little thought the creature powered forwards trying to surface, but Galvatron had it by it's weak point.

He was in command now.

With a grunt only audible underwater Galvatron lurched forwards, pushing his arm into the Tektite's eye socket crushing the sloppy organ between his webbed fingers.

Blood and fluids twisted out into the water like dark snakes, only increasing in intensity as Galvatron continued to force his arm down into the creature's remains.

Only when the body ceased twitching did Galvatron remove his arm from the corpse.

Good.

He didn't want any more scars, not today.

Picking up the body Galvatron dragged it the rest of the way to the surface, ignoring the increase of it's weight now the water ceased to support it, the Zora pulled it out until it was placed carefully within the edges of the forest that guarded all sides of the lake.

Some other creature could scavenge it's remains.

Without a word Galvatron sunk back below the waters of the lake.

Another beast would no doubt be along, and another fight would entertain him.

Until then, he had other hobbies to entertain him.

Beneath the water Galvatron had constructed a crude home, using the largest rocks he could find both underwater and above ground, he had built onto a natural little hole, creating a large place for himself.

Small holes in the 'roof' of his home let him judge the time of day even when inside and provided natural lighting.  
The bed was made of moss and soft corals he had brought from his homelands.

Ignoring the entrance, Galvatron swam to the back.

He had cultivated a small garden of corals behind his house.  
It wasn't easy, this was no Ocean.

But some of the hardier varieties had survived, it helped some others survive too, as if the presence of the tougher coral had helped the more delicate varieties continue on.

Regardless they were nice colours, and made the place better.

There wasn't much he could do, but remove moss growing around the bases of the coral and check for any water-dwelling insects.

Nothing was threatening his coral today.

A few fish were hiding out in them but they sped away as Galvatron plucked the tiny growths of moss away from the bases.

Galvatron watched them vanish into the distance.

He was very hungry.

Leaving his coral garden behind Galvatron entered his home, the sandy floor and walls were decorated with shells and pretty rocks he had collected, stashed carefully behind some bigger rocks Galvatron kept several bands of woven metal.

They were pretty pieces of Zora jewellery.

He largely had them because of his time in the royal guard.  
He had to wear them to look 'nice' and 'regal'.

There was no point to them now, but damn Galvatron couldn't just abandon such pretty pieces of work. Besides if any Zora did find him he could use them as proof of his significance and hopefully ward them off.

Shame there were memories attached to them.  
Memories of how the King Ceatus had treated him like a status symbol, because stupid Zora couldn't accept something different and made rumors. Of course the King was interesting in being on top of the rumoured 'curse' or 'omen'.

Galvatron had lost track and interest in the rumors surrounding him a long while ago.

Puffing out a few bubbles of irritation Galvatron put his thoughts back on his gut.

Food time was better than bad-memory-time.

Elsewhere he had a spear propped up against a wall, not his weapon of choice but a decent one to keep around on the off chance it's needed.

Taking up the weapon Galvatron swam around the edge of the lake finding the shore that was covered in large rocks, creating several small rock pools.  
Often swarming with tasty morsels.

Not quite as graceful on land as he was on the sea Galvatron practically flopped over the rim of one of the rockpools with a grumble.

Continuing to flop along Galvatron displaced a few tiny insignificant fish as he sat down in one pool and leaned over to another.

It was empty and prompted a loud whine as Galvatron stood up and moved over to a rockpool that actually had food in it.

Tracks, there were tracks near the rockpool.

Some travellers must have passed nearby here earlier, the tracks were old.

Shame.

Galvatron could admit to leaping out at some poor Hylians passing his lake once or twice before just to scare them.

Good times.

Oh well, a large crab half-hidden by a rock in the closest pool would do for him.

Galvatron prodded the cram with the pointy-end of the spear and the crustacean tried to withdraw further under the rock but it was too large.

Galvatron prodded it again and the crab decided to go on the offensive.

It stumbled out from under the rock and waved it's claws in a threatening manner.

How utterly cute of it.  
He could let it live for a while longer.

Swapping the Spear around Galvatron prodded it with the harmless end and the crab grabbed onto the handle.  
Wiggling the spear around Galvatron led the irate soon-to-be-food creature around on a little dance.

Some distant traveller was even providing music!

Slowing down the wiggling of the spear, Galvatron craned his head.

Far off in the distance someone was singing.

A lovely little melody, only boosted by this person having a nice smooth voice letting the notes ring out with a charming flow.

Okay, if he did spot whatever Hylian had passed through here earlier he could let them go without a scare.

Quietly he found himself squinting at the ground as if the motion would somehow, inexplicably help him hear better.

It was nicer than the distant boisterous laughter of the makeshift camps of travellers.

Either the singer had a deep voice that could carry sound for long distances or they were closer than initially thought.  
At least it was a nice deviation from the norm- MOTHERFUCKER!.

Galvatron reeled back and hissed, the crab had got a hold of one of his toes, aggravated it had started clawing at anything new and possibly 'threatening'.

With it's claw still wrapped around his toe, Galvatron dropped his spear to the water and grabbed the crab, a claw in each hand he easily plucked it from his foot and from the water in turn.

With no offensive capabilities the crustacean slowly waved it's legs in the air as it tried in vain to escape.  
Pulling it's arms away from it's body Galvatron had a clear bite.

It was delicious, the shell crunched under his teeth as it's back cracked into several pieces and it's flesh dribbled out into Galvatrons mouth.

Delicious.

With a mouth full of crab meat and shell Galvatron looked up.

The singing had stopped.

He'd probably alerted them to his presence.

Quietly something thumped in the distance.

The the trees exploded.

A flurry of leaves burst upwards as something sailed into the skies.

Dropping the crab and nearly choking on what he had in his mouth Galvatron sprang into the lake.  
Ignoring the prickle of heated pain from his legs at the sudden strained movement he didn't slow until he was pressed to the sandy bottom, kicking up a cloud as he scurried along on all fours until he was safely in his home.


	2. Chapter 2

Galvatron felt stupid for having dived away into the lake so quickly, but the shock and adrenaline left him at the mouth of his home until nightfall.

Quietly Galvatron shuffled out, paddling at a leisurely pace to retrieve the remains of the crab corpse and his previously abandoned spear.

Giving the stars a quiet glance Galvatron sunk back below the water, not to wake 'til sunrise.

The sunrise came and went, and Galvatron never came out of his home.

The sun had already reached its peak and was slowly beginning to sink down again by the time the Zora peeked out of his home.

He wasn't exactly employed or needing to be anywhere.

Who cares what the time was?

The forest was quiet.

No singing, no footsteps.

No anything.

It was running it's normal quiet sounds of bird songs and the occasional animal call as they wandered through heading to riper feeding grounds or safer pastures.

It was very cloudy today and it sent a cold chill through Galvatrons bones every time he poked his head out of the water.

Even the breeze felt as if it were biting.

Regardless, Galvatron felt it best that he slipped over to the other side of the lake for a while.

It seemed, having focused more on fighting the monsters at the lakeside closest to his home had pushed the monsters to use the other side of the lake.

There was much more to fight here.

Enough that Galvatron managed at least two a day for a while.

It was exhilarating but left him utterly drained, muscles sore and stiff he merely floated along the water's surface, not caring to go beneath or out on land.

His right leg was covered in healing herbs anyway.

A wayward claw had got him just above the knee.

It was sore and he needed to leave it for a while longer before risking any of it washing off.

At least today it was warm.

Warm and humming again.

It caused a content little sigh to escape him. Galvatron loved these days, soothing and stress-free.

He didn't need the stress anyway, it made his head hurt and that made him angry, he didn't like the kind of headaches that feel like daggers bursting out from inside his own head as if shearing away his thoughts and sanity like some kind of mind robbers.

Focus on the warm hum.

It even left the surface of the water rippling, nearing the centre of the lake Galvatron could practically feel the surface of the entire lake against his sensitive Zora skin.

Enough that it was easy to tell of the displacement of water.

Someone was in the lake.

Ignoring the herbs on his leg Galvatron dove under again.

The humming stopped as he did this.

It wasn't the hum of the forest, someone was making that noise.

He prayed they didn't spot him.

The water was his home and he could easily locate the disturbance.

A few minutes after he'd submerged the hum started up again. Swimming as slowly as possible, Galvatron quietly moved closer to the source.

As he got closer to the source Galvatron could hear it better. The sound rippled through the water, hugging him with each note that rang past him.

It wasn't humming. It was singing.

He could hear the words clearer and clearer as he neared.

He dared not venture closer.

He could see the person's silhouette.

He knew that shape.

The sharp pointy face, the width of the arms.

It was a Rito.

Not that that was a surprise, he should've known.

They had flown before. It was obvious.

Instead of leaving or attacking, as he probably should have, Galvatron peered at this newcomer as they continued to sing to their invisible audience.

He wasn't close enough to make out too much, just that the Rito was a lavender-ish purple and kept halting their singing to preen and groom at winged arms. From his hidden vantage point, Galvatron could see just how broad their upper body was, including what must be an armoured shoulder and chest piece.

A Rito warrior.

Of course.

He was near parts of their territory, after all, it made sense.

Soon after Galvatrons arrival, the Rito seemed satisfied and left.

Good.

He didn't want no damn, stupid Rito's hanging about his home, even if they did sing. Galvatron returned to his home, unsettled but satisfied.

They came back again the next day.

Singing to themselves and humming.

This time Galvatron wasn't in the water. He'd gone to collect more herbs and was now stuck behind a tree, clinging to its shade to keep his moisture as long as possible.

He could see more of the Rito now.

Definitely taller than Galvatron by about a head.

A sharp, pointed face left him with an almost predatory look, contrasted by the dulcet tones of his singing.

The armour ringing around his neck and shoulders was thick.

Definitely a warrior, no normal person would be fine with such a big, heavy piece of metal clinging to them for so long.

No doubt meant he was strong too, easily one Galvatron wanted to avoid.

On land, anyway.

When he finished singing and preening, he shook himself off.

Atop his head, two thicker, darkened feathers stuck up, an incomplete crest that looked like strange ears, antennae or even horns if one felt whimsical enough.

But today he didn't stay long, and instead flew up and out of sight very quickly.

Galvatron couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

It was beautiful singing...

A Zora's voice was legendary for supposedly luring sailors to their deaths through sheer beautiful melodies.

Songs were meant to flow from a Zora's throat with the smooth beauty of a pure stream, flowing gracefully to all who hear it.

Those rumours were true, everyone he'd heard sing back at home made such beautiful sounds.

Everyone except him.

Galvatron had sung before, but when he did the others recoiled.

They didn't like it.

It made them angry.

He was young, only a small whelp, he just wanted to join in with the other children. But they hated it.

It must've been awful, as their angry little faces opened to insult and hands picked up rocks and sticks.

He'd just wanted to sing.

The Rito appeared again the next day, singing his tune as loudly as before, his deep tones easily penetrating the water.

Galvatron could practically hear him anywhere in the lake.

He hated it.

Why couldn't the Rito go away and stop reminding him of… well, him.

The damn bird showed up yet again.

He look perturbed as Galvatron deliberately left blood from a recent fight near his 'preening' spot.

It didn't stop him as he went to preen again.

Only he whistled out a tune rather than sing, occasionally glancing to his sides just in case.

Damn bastard, he can even whistle well.

It didn't work, they were back singing again the next day with renewed vigour, and again the next and yet again he came back another day.

Galvatron clawed at his face, he wanted it to stop, he wanted his solitude back.

Loathing his predicament Galvatron woke up early. He refused to listen to this infuriatingly pretty song today, no matter what!

Swimming with force and irritated energy Galvatron made it to a connecting river and swam out of his lake.

He'd spend the day hunting far out from his home.

Far away and alone.

Good.

Perfect.

Not that it mattered even if he stayed. There was no Rito visitor today.

Unaware of this fact Galvatron spent the day hunting, the net slung over his shoulder slowly filling with fish.

It would've filled much faster if Galvatron could stop himself from snacking on his catch.

At least the net was gradually filling up, his catch rate slightly exceeding his self-indulgent snacking.

The many boons of hunting in fresh territory.

With a neat little catch, Galvatron used his will-power and self-control to stop himself from just feasting right away. He could do that later but he was MEANT to be catching these for storing.

Then maybe feasting on them all at a later date.

Trying not to eye what was in the bag Galvatron tied it up, hoping that not smelling the food would help him not eat it.

Along with keeping some nosey beasts away.

He'd done well, no problems and of course no blasted singing, even the trip back to his lake was event free as he sailed down the river even allowing the current to gently push him along at some points.

The lake was quiet. Good.

It had a calm tone to it, only quietly did a tiny ripple touch the surface.

Like the most delicate of fingers poking at an ancient scroll.

That was fine Galvatron could handle that.

He could handle the distant muffled sounds of some commotion too, let them handle their problems alone.

The surface of the water rippled more vigorously and Galvatrons face wrinkled up.

It was tangy, it was iron-y in flavour.

Even from the edge of the lake, he could pick up that distinctive smell from miles away.

Looking up, there was a shadow above the water, but more interestingly feathers.

Dark blue ones gently fell and touched the surface, sending those gentle ripples out.

But now drops of blood were falling too, being flung around from the source of the commotion the drops rained upon the lake.

Now a fight was something Galvatron should get his nose into.

Especially now the blood had got his heart racing.

Breaking the surface of the water the distant sounds of a muffled commotion became clear.

They were still distant but now they were obvious and awful.

It was the most dreadful screeching sound like several beasts being strangled and shook.

It was also getting louder.

A shadow in the sky was getting larger.

Squinting at the approaching frenzy of feathers it was a mess barely keeping itself aloft.

That damn Rito warrior was back.

He was surrounded by a small flock of Kargarocs about five, the large birds must have been passing through migrating to new nesting grounds.

They were large and swarming over the Rito.

He was doing well, he punched one in the face making a loud crack and sending a few more globs of blood down to the lake below. The bird retreated but clearly circled back to rejoin the fight.

One of them, however, was clinging to the Rito's back, it's feet digging into his waist soaking the fabrics he wore with blood, it's wings flapping wilding as it continued pecking and biting at the Rito's head and neck, clearly having learnt the shoulders were a useless target.

The noises of the Kargarocs were truly as awful as travellers had said, like the dying squeal of a stressed beast.

Their noises drowned out the angry crows of the Rito.

Pulling a Rito blade from his belt the warrior tried slashing out at a Kargaroc in front of him, cutting its shoulder and causing it to dive away dripping more blood into the lake.

He tried swinging back to stab at the one on his back but he couldn't another Kargaroc dove at him and he had to swing at them.

It didn't help he needed to stop swinging in order to continue flying.

It made the fight descend lower and lower and the angry birds flocked around him in an angry ring.

For whatever reason the Rito stopped trying to fly all together.

Swinging the sword backwards he stabbed the Kargaroc in the back causing it to squall and release him, trying desperately to fly away despite the vicious wound.

The other Kargarocs took the chance and three of them dived hitting him in the chest repeatedly.

Yet it seemed planned as the Rito did nothing but fall.

The Kargarocs seemed confused but they didn't pursue the falling bird, nor did they notice Galvatron dive down again as the Rito plummeted into his waters falling to the bottom of the lake like a stone.


	3. Chapter 3

The bloody fool.

The bloody moron.

The literally bloody bird.

Streaming trails of red through the lake the Rito sank quickly.

Out of sight, out of mind for the Kargarocs he was fighting.

Yet in plain view of a startled and disgusted Zora.

Quite what the Rito had planned, Galvatron had no idea, because he certainly was a fool if he thought he'd be carried to shore.

Not with armour like that.

Instinct and a dash of hunger drew Galvatron closer to the fallen warrior, the taste of blood permeating the water only getting stronger.

Ugh, the entire lake would reek of Rito blood and be swarming with monsters if he left him here.

Against better judgment Galvatron grabbed the Rito's shoulder plates, coughing up bubbles of air as he tried to tug the body along by it.

That armour really was heavier than he looked, how did this guy even manage to stay airborne with something like this strapped to him?.

Heavy but not impossible, Galvatron grunted as he yanked on the Rito again, pulling him upwards and away in a diagonal motion, quietly breaking the surface of the water.

That was good enough for non-aquatics right?

Regardless the heavy bird was a pain to drag along to the edge of the lake, and even more so when out of the water.

What did these guys even eat?.

Galvatron huffed and panted as he looked at the damn moron, face down in the dirt.

There was a process for this.

He did know it.

King Ceatus was on good terms with the Hylians, they couldn't breathe underwater.

As a royal guard, Galvatron could've been put out to guard some Hylian diplomat visiting on behalf of their royalty.

And if that said diplomat managed to die while under the watch of a royal guard AND of something like drowning…

Well, that would just be no good now, would it?

But for a Rito?

Did they breathe differently?

There were certainly no lips for this Hylian practice of 'mouth-to-mouth'.

Though this was probably just a case of breathing in water along with swallowing copious amounts of it.

It also looked utterly stupid when Galvatron planted a foot either side of the unconscious Rito's waist and grabbed his middle.

With a grunt, Galvatron tried lifting him up a little.

The soggy bird was pulled up into a vague arching position.

Whatever, good enough.

Thinking back to his rather unnecessary training Galvatron squeezed and shook the Rito slightly.

He was never good at this process.

Shuffling about he tried to squeeze the Rito again, but it sent a rush of warmth down his arms and Galvatron dropped the Rito with a yelp.

Upon being dropped the Rito convulsed, gagging and spewing up water as his body jerked in response.

But just as quickly as he spasmed he flopped down, still unconscious.

Galvatron looked down, his arms were covered in blood.

He'd squeezed the wounds from the Kargarocs claws and in response to the sudden pain he'd jerked about but still remained woozy and unconscious.

And still bleeding.

The damn, stupid, singing feather-brain would still bleed into the lake at this rate.

Galvatron palmed at his face and grumbled to himself before waddling back into the lake.

This guy was fucking lucky Galvatron had restocked on healing herbs.

He was even fucking luckier that while generally grumpy Galvatron didn't have a personal grudge against his kind.

He couldn't be bothered with such tedious shit, even when a guard, then again that might just have been due to listening to King Ceatus gripe constantly about them and the 'threat they posed'.

Distaste for the King outweighed his distaste for one random Rito guard.

Carrying the water-tight bag up from his home he shook it clear of water droplets before opening it up.

He could mix them up easily with his hands, the natural moisture of Zora's hands let them mix pastes quite quickly, it was very useful when you needed to make medical paste in a pinch.

The herbs were easily crushed and their remains soaked up Galvatrons natural moisture, quickly smoothing out into an unappetising paste swirling around his palms.

Galvatron looked down at the Rito.

This face-down in the dirt and wearing clothes, Galvatron really hadn't thought it through.

Oh well, this was just some asshole who had disturbed the peace with his damn annoying beautiful singing.

It didn't have to be the work of the greatest standards, as long as it did its job.

Galvatron had a finger and thumb free, more than enough to slowly pull the shirt of this Rito upwards.

They must have been on some sort of patrol, only the one piece of armour and very light fabrics over the rest of them, whatever they were doing must have involved a lot of flying something that would make full-body armour more trouble than it's worth.

Around the wounds, the shirt was harder to manoeuvre.

The fabric was already heavier than normal and sticking to him from the water, but now around the wounds blood stained everything from feathers to the clothes.

It also practically behaved like glue and Galvatron had to roll up the shirt in his hands and pinch the fabric closer to the wounds before he could even begin trying to peel it off.

It even came with its own stickier sound-effect as the fabric after some light tugging finally 'popped' free and Galvatron could pull the fabric the rest of the way.

By everything holy, he prayed the Rito didn't wake up now.

He didn't want to be seen like this.

Silently and intently slathering this unconscious Rito with healing paste.

Wordlessly Galvatron kept his eyes trained on the puncture wounds from the Kargaroc claws and tried his best to completely cover them with the paste, trying to cover as much as possible.

There…

That should be enough… Probably.

Galvatron rubbed his hands together and stood back to admire his handiwork.

Work in the form of several uneven globs of funny-coloured paste over a half-stripped Rito's back and some on his front.

Oh god.

It was surreal.

But at least he wasn't bleeding anymore and that was enough for Galvatron.

Reobtaining his sack of fish Galvatron ran into the water, probably a bit more desperately than he needed to be, but he didn't want to hang around.

He didn't even want to eat the fish anymore he just stuffed them quickly into a small alcove in his 'house' and scurried into his rustic excuse of a bed.

And there he stayed staring at the floor for the unforeseeable future.

No one must know of this.

No Zora ever bothered to visit him, he wasn't worth their time even the medic that seemed on somewhat decent terms with him hadn't made any attempt to go near his new home.

It was good.

Worked in his favour.

He was hated enough, he didn't need to be seen as helping the enemy.

Even if they were a moron who just stood about singing his damn, stupid head off.

The sun moved by a measurable amount by the time Galvatron slowly uncurled himself from his tight position.

It was almost ready to sink below the horizon and allow the moon to take its place.

He supposed he should probably check on the Rito.

Probably.

Maybe.

Just a little?.

Yeah, a little, that's fine, maybe he got eaten by a passing beast.

No, there was no blood spilt into the lake and he doubted any beast would really take it's time to be cleanly about its food.

It was a silent swim to the surface, not even a sound was made as the tip of Galvatron's head broke the surface slowly, until his eyes were the only major thing above water.

It was quiet here too.

Looking to the shore, it was visually quiet too.

No sign of a struggle, or movement at all.

Squinting Galvatron could still see a slumped mess of a shape.

Had it been hours yet the Rito still hadn't moved?

Was he concussed? Were there more injuries Galvatron had not noticed? He thought he had patched up all the major ones…

He allowed himself a small moment to chew on his lower lip.

He should probably check… Just, to make sure…

He didn't want to charge over, just in case he was awake, but curiosity was a powerful force.

Besides, he was a royal guard, 'was' being the keyword but it was still something to his name, some lousy patrol Rito had to try better than this to get him off guard.

Some lousy, still unconscious Rito.

Fuck.

Damnit.

The blood that had already seeped from his wounds had congealed in the dirt around him like dry pasty lumps but all the water had evaporated leaving him dry as a bone and the medical paste thoroughly dried into his feathers, putting a cap on the claw wounds.

Galvatron fiddled with his hands, rubbing them against each other and up himself as he wandered back and forth trying to run over some things to do.

This helpless bastard was going to make him do it, wasn't he?

The pathetic thing had him.

Stupid.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

By the Gods he hated it.

Galvatron could easily pry off large strips of tree bark and local areas of the forest had those strange plants in them.

The ones whose name he could never remember, they were like tiny trees with absurdly thick trunks and huge leaves.

Whatever they were called their leaves were very, very useful at this point.

Deciding on dragging the Rito further in-land, Galvatron put him in between some decently sized rocks, probably about the same height as the Rito if he were sitting upright.

That was more than enough right?

It'd have to do anyway as he propped the strips of tree bark on top of the rocks making a rudimentary roof.

Mud from a nearby rivers edge helped stick the leaves to each other and to the tree bark along with sticking this now extra-layered roof to the rocks even further.

It looked ugly but it'd dry out.

It'd work.

Rather unceremoniously, Galvatron pushed the Rito further into the ugly little hut.

This is what they needed right.

It was all he needed to do, right?

If he's unconscious it's not like he's seeking companionship or getting a drink or eating or anything.

Galvatron didn't need to do a thing.

Done and done, this was a job done.

It was cold though, his haphazard attempt at hut-making had taken Galvatron quite a long while and more than one dip in the lake to re-moisturise' himself and it was now dark.

He should proooobably make a fire.

That was the sensible thing to do.

Well, then he won't do it.

At some times Galvatron practically made it a mission not to be sensible, so hah! Take that! Screw your fire!.

Though it wasn't just sensible it was the kind and helpful thing to do.

Galvatron wanted to wait until this guy woke up just to slap him for making him feel like doing the good and helpful thing to do.

He was no carer.

He hated this and he hated the Rito. Probably.

He also hated fire.

A lot.

He hated how the dry leaves and twigs he had found needed to be carried carefully so his moist skin didn't make them less-dry.

He hated the lame, tedious process of making a fire.

He hated how a sudden rush of flame licked at his fingertips and singed his nose.

It hurt and then the fire dared spread and burnt its way around his other hand.

He hated how he felt compelled to take from his own stash and set up a few fish on a stick, propped above the fire, hissing and roasting nicely.

He spun to glare at the Rito.

Boy if he were awake Galvatron would have a few choice words to hiss and snarl at the idiot.

With a squint Galvatron looked at his arm, he was sure the Rito had them flopped over his front when Galvatron had shoved him in the hut earlier, but now it was dropped to his side.

Had he moved?

Was he awake and preparing an ambush?

How long had he been awake?

Fuck, he moved, he must have, he totally did move.

A tiny squeal crept around at the back of Galvatrons throat as he bolted to the lake once more, not even bothering to swim home the purple Zora pressed himself under the first rock big enough to hide him.


	4. Chapter 4

He was cold and in pain.

Everything hurt and everything felt far heavier than it ought to be.

Stirring from a strained sleep, bleary eyes could barely make out where he was.

Slowly his vision settled and he could see where he was.

Pressed between two rocks.

Two rocks with an awfully rustic layer of leaves, mud and tree bark above him.

Just outside someone had made a fire, but it was badly placed and its heat barely helped within the tiny, tiny rock hut.

At least the fire was making a wonderful aromatic smell as it cooked three decent sized fish, they looked like they needed turning.

His toes clenched and arms stiffly reached out to the rock-walls either side of him.

It wasn't going to be the quickest or most impressive of awakenings.

Leaning forwards he hissed angrily, physically clenching up to try and stifle the pained moan as wounds on his back cracked and stretched with his movement.

The damn Kargarocs.

Of course.

He'd ran into a migrating group and had clearly riled them.

Flopping onto his front, he decided there was no shame in crawling for the time being.

Besides no one had spoken, so he was probably alone and no one would see him like this anyway.

Even when free from the small space of the 'hut' he didn't bother to stand upright as he continued to crawl over to the fish, turning them over, he watched hungrily as cooked juices leaked from them as they moved.

At least the heat of the fire was soothing his stiff, sore bones.

It took little time for him to feel comfortable with slowly standing up.

Cyclonus stood alone in this make-shift camp, confused, wary, and unsure what to do next.

He was sore and could feel the bruises throbbing across his body but he was… alive, a little woozy but good.

His mouth felt dry as he knew what to do.

He had to check the wounds on his back, they were open sores of weakness presenting themselves to any would-be attacker.

They were also deep and should really be causing far more of an issue than they were.

He mentally winced remembering the Kargarocs claws digging into him as it clung to his back, hindering his movements in what should have been a less problematic fight, he carefully reached towards the bloody mark it had left behind.

Slowly his fingers reached beneath the fabric of his stained and torn shirt.

Instead of pain and agony as his fingers touched what should be wet, soft, open wounds he received a hot burning tingle as they pressed into something hard and rough.

They couldn't have scabbed over already.

He withdrew his arm, his hands now coated with an obvious pungent smell.

Herbs specially mixed and crushed to amplify their healing properties.

With his beak slightly agape, Cyclonus looked around again.

Still no one, just the still lake glinting in the moonlight and the dark canopies of the forest looming above him.

The fish smelled done.

It was impossible, no one would've just helped him and then left him.

Would they?.

"H… Hello?" He called out, quieter than he should have but his throat was dry and confusion held his pitch at a low level.

Swallowing he tried again, louder.

"Hello?"

There wasn't even a rustle.

Not a peep, from anywhere.

It was terrible, he couldn't tell if it was good or bad, either way, it was making him feel uneasy and sick.

Or maybe that was just on account of the still recent wounds.

Or the fact he's been unconscious for an unknown amount of time without food or water.

He took the fish with a ravenous glee.

Flying was out of the question, trying to get lift-off strained his wings and his muscles twinged, sending him down to the ground faster than he could go up.

Before he knew it a day had passed.

The sharp stick the fish were roasting on was good enough as a hunting weapon, spearing fish at the lake's edge and even the occasional rodent. A tiny offshoot on the stick even worked to pull high up branches down increasing access to berries and fruits.

A couple of days later and Cyclonus could run and perform acrobatic exercises with much more ease, climbing trees and running was no longer an issue.

By the end of the week, he could fly.

With the wind in his feathers, Cyclonus gladly took off, leaving his temporary home.

His saviour was never known or seen, a mystery and a tale for Cyclonus to tell and maybe one to eventually solve. Yet for now, it was merely an afterthought as he returned to his duties.

A saviour that had watched him the entire time, one that watched him go with mixed feelings.

It was nice to have something different, some potential company, but it was also nice to have his old life back, no one to bother him or rat him out to the King.

Galvatron couldn't tell which one was nicer and which one was making him feel just a little sad.

Sadness was useless and did nothing for him, he shoved it away like all the things he didn't want or need as he completely submerged into the water and went to his bed…

It must have been an entirely new season by the time Galvatron was awoken earlier than usual.

It sent a shiver up his spine as if something had deliberately awoken him against his will.

He had no other reason to be awake at this ungodly… morning, time.

Several bubbles rushed out from between his teeth as he angrily huffed, kicking and shuffling about in his bed the Zora twisted moodily until he had gained a decent swimming speed leaving his home and out into the lake he called home.

There was nothing around and the clear water let him see far across the lake.

Fish swam idly.

Seaweed waved back and forth.

He squinted and glared.

Something had to give.

He wanted it to give.

Answer, damn it!.

The water hummed and rippled once more and Galvatron spun in the water, confusion evident on his face.

Then he was left floating.

Floating motionless in an expanse of water that rippled and rubbed against his scales like hundreds of delicate dancers shedding their rhythm onto him through their movements.

That fucking bird had a strong singing voice.

Blowing bubbles Galvatron followed it back to its source and sure enough, the Rito had come back.

Wearing thinner armour this time and a sliver of a bandage was visible just under his clothes, fiddling shyly with his hands.

He was too close to the surface but the Rito moved away, heading slightly towards the area where Galvatron had left him many moons ago.

The way the Rito's head moved back and forth, up and down.

He was looking for something.

Looking for him.

Of course, he would.

Galvatron had saved his flaming life.

Out of the good fucking graces of his heart.

Fucker.

It was tempting.

Somewhere in the back of Galvatron's mind, he wanted to spring forth from the water, making sure he brought enough of it to shower the Rito with his emergence, fling his arms to the air and yell 'T'WAS ME! I SAVED YOU!'.

A nearly non-existent thing called 'better judgment' put a cap on that thought, especially as the Rito turned around again and was heading back towards the lake, slowly.

Unconsciously Galvatron swam back a little as the bird's large frame cast a shadow of the water.

He really was looking for him.

From what he could hear, the lyrics of his tuneful song were easy to understand. He was calling out to 'the saviour in the night', the 'unseen hero'.

Goddamn what a fanciful, over-the-top Rito.

Sure he may be singing a song he didn't write but did he have to pick one with such ridiculous lyrics?

Galvatron's face scrunched up under the water listening to the words drip down.

The Rito plodded it's way back to where the makeshift camp was, here he stopped singing and after a short time a familiar Rito shape sailed up into the sky flying away.

Even then Galvatron took his time to emerge.

Stupid bastard, what's he doing coming back here?

Clawed footprints lined the sands and dirt, Galvatron pondered if the Rito had seen some of his footprints.

Maybe he already knew a Zora saved him?

Or at least that one frequented the area.

He'd gone back to the tiny clearing where he had constructed an equally tiny camp.

More light trickled down to the ground as the Rito had knocked branches out of the way in order to fly up from there. The warm shafts of light painted the ground with mottled shades of gold and amber as the place remained unused since the Rito's departure.

The light almost hurt Galvatron's eyes as it jabbed sharply at them.

Squinting angrily he was about to leave when the true culprit was spotted.

A rogue ray of light was shining on something left at the tiny hut and the reflection was what poked annoyingly at his eyes.

Driven by curiosity once more Galvatron approached the offending object.

It was a badge, a badge of delicate thin gold embossed with a pattern of feathers circling around each other in an almost flower-like array.

Rito jewellery.

Galvatron almost couldn't believe what he saw.

It was already astounding the singing idiot had come back but he had also left a gift!?

Did he really think his 'saviour' would magically find the thing and not some passing thief or traveller?

What a moron.

Well, lucky for him the saviour lived right next door and Galvatron quietly scooped the badge away heading back to his lake, and quietly placing it among his royal-wear.

It was meant for him after all.

It happened again the next day.

This time the Rito came back at a later time, hoping for better success it seemed.

Galvatron was midway through a particularly fat fish this time, enjoying having messy mouthfuls of food that made speaking impossible. Then again is made him almost choke when the singing started up again mid-bite.

With a dash of irritation and an admittedly equal dash of amusement, Galvatron swam back to the lake's edge where the singing came from, this time sitting back on the sands and chewing away at the big glob of fish meat he had still in his jaws.

He had to admit, at the very least this Rito was providing entertainment, almost a ghostly feel that maybe the lake wasn't quite so devoid of sentient life.

Just like the previous day the singing drew to a close and the Rito went back to the clearing. He took longer this time but once again he flew upwards and left.

Once again Galvatron waited and then went to investigate.

Once again another little trinket had been left, a pin this time.

Galvatron felt his blood go cold.

The pin was decorated with a nice round pearl.

Did the Rito know?

Was his 'cover' blown?

Looking around in a panic Galvatron grabbed the pin and ran.

He felt more worried than intrigued or fascinated when the Rito came back for the third time.

Galvatron barely swam out of his cave, instead, waiting for the singing to stop and for its shadow to pass over the lake and into the horizon.

Quietly and with more trepidation this time Galvatron followed the routine of the previous night and found another trinket left for him.

Not another piece of Jewellery this time, just a nicely cut segment of amethyst.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit relieved, feeling stupid at his previous panic.

He shouldn't be panicked by anything damn it.

Swiping this new thing Galvatron scurried back to the water and added it to the collection.

It happened again the following day, only now Galvatron returned to listening to the Rito sing.

Silently it was like having company for the first time in years; even if he did now nothing of his presence.

It did bring a small forlorn feeling to the Zora as he paid himself no heed and continued to sit silently through the daily performances.

He was starting to build up a small collection by the time the week was nearing its end.

An emerald, a silver chain and a decorated feather-shaped badge joined the amethyst, pin and badge.

By now Galvatron was wondering, for just how long would this keep up before he was left to the silent empty lake again...


	5. Chapter 5

It was the last day of the week and not a peep was to be seen of his mysterious saviour.

Each night his little 'offerings' left as an extra incentive for the mystery to reveal themselves vanished. Now Cyclonus was convinced a passing beast had taken them, or some unscrupulous traveller had spirited them away.

He'd had his suspicions about what had happened and how it happened, but with no one arriving to confirm this, he was still in the dark with little to no basis for his theory.

Covered gently by his feathers Cyclonus rolled an opal around in his hands, it was a beautiful smooth sphere of the most reflective quality; it practically glittered in the light of the afternoon.

On the off chance it was some beast or passing stranger coming to take the items, Cyclonus felt unwilling to part with the item if it were not going to its intended recipient.

However they saved his life, it would be rude to not at least try as best he could to thank them.

He owed them that much.

Holding the opal tightly Cyclonus put it in the mouth of the rudimentary hut he had lived in while recovering, gently pushing it into the dirt so it would not be easily rolled or pushed away by any winds.

He could only do what he knew how to do.

He sang once more.

An old song, he knew it well.

It was one his parents sang many times, be it loud singing or gentle crooning to each other by a warm fire as Cyclonus and his brothers slept, he knew this duet well.

It was a bit mushy but it was at least something? Maybe it would at least prove his intentions were pure and genuine.

Elsewhere Galvatron peered at the edge of the lake, red eyes standing out against the cool shades of the water as they suspiciously eyed the shore, it was turning dark and still, the Rito had not left.

Somewhere Galvatron felt offended that the Rito was not leaving his little gift and pissing the hell off.

Elsewhere he was amused at the idea of a personal bird patrol around his lake, paying his way with singing and indirectly chasing away that lonely feeling one would get from so long without true contact.

Galvatron refused to admit that feeling existed.

Finally, singing started.

'He's late' Galvatron scowled in his mind at the Rito taking so long to even try singing when before he had sung for so long.

Maybe he felt some kind of enjoyment that they were singing to and for him.

It only furthered his desire to jump out and scare him, at the very least it would be an interaction.

Slowly the Rito's deep tone rolled out over the water; he'd sung songs with lyrics in before and not just whistles but he seemed to be enjoying this song.

Galvatron knew this song too as soon as the first line finished, the Rito rolled into the second line he remembered it all and more.

"Forget these wide-eyed fears"

This song, he remembered it so vividly.

He could see it.

A handsome young Zora male, with lovely pink accents to his frills, circled elegantly around a slightly shorter but similarly aged female whose teals and blues meshed excellently with the oceanic background of the setting.

Friends to both stood at the side and egged them on with quiet clicks and excited squeals, the duo apparently having pined for one another for a long time and only just decided to break out and finally admit it.

"I'm here, nothing can harm you" The young male crooned so smoothly it nearly echoed and Galvatron watched, a part of neither friend group but quietly pretending he was and giving his own silent encouragement, "My words will warm and calm you"

The young lady giggled, giving him a shove as she buried her face in her hands but even they weren't enough to muffle her soft song.

"Let me be your freedom" She sang, it wasn't the normal place for the duet to switch places but she seemingly couldn't hold back the urge to sing back any longer and broke the songs form and Galvatron scurried closer as she cooed through the next line and onwards, "I'm here with you, beside you"

Unphased by the duet being sung in a different manner to how it was intended the young man sang the next line with her, their flirting seemingly destined with how in-tune their voices were.

"To guard you and to guide you"

Being so close now Galvatron was a good head shorter than all of these youngsters, young as they may be he was younger at this time.

"Say you love me every waking moment"

He let out a small gasp, he loved the lyrics, he loved the song, he wanted it.

As he gasped something grabbed the caudal extension of his head and the gasp became pained as he was yanked back, practically hefted from his feet.

He watched from a distance for a reason.

"Promise me that all you say is true" He knew that voice, it wasn't the one of the couple he watched or the Rito.

It was sad, forlorn, tainted with sad memories and an emptiness only he knew.

It hurt.

Stupid song, stupid everything

Stupid song, stupid everything.

Stupid lyrics, stupid loneliness.

Stupid fuck-up, stupid reject.

It was no song, just a glaring reminder of everything unavailable in life.

The mere delusions of trust and familiarity and decentness as if everyone had something.

He didn't, He didn't have it.

He wasn't even sure if he had the one thing he tried running to.

Of course not.

That'd mean success.

That'd mean not looking over his shoulder fins waiting for the day the royal guard stuck their flukes back in his business.

"ALL I WANT IS FREEDOM!" To hell with the song and its order, Galvatron shrieked loudly, to hell with it and it's glaring reminders of himself and all that he lacked and could never hope to obtain.

He hated it.

He hated it all, EVERYTHING!.

Aware that he'd just shouted loudly atop his lungs Galvatron sunk like a stone.

A furious stone.

His claws pulled at his face and a familiar burning sensation coupled with a tangy taste swirled around his senses when his pulling tore a gash along the underside of his jaw.

Who cares?

No one that's who.

Galvatrons hands balled up into fists and he instead chose to pummel himself over and over.

Once again that song caused nothing but pain.

At least it was deserved this time.

He earned it.

Above the sound of his own fists reverberating around his skull came the sound of splashing.

It had been more than enough, the Rito had homed in on his unintended noise and found himself at the edge of the lake.

Well, that's gone and done it.

Galvatron silently hissed at himself under the water before angrily yanking at the fins on either side of his face in frustration.

If he'd followed his voice back here then he sure as hell knew it was a Zora living around these parts.

He was either going to leave in disgust or fulfil his duty to the tensions between the species and try to kill him.

He chose the first option.

Of course, he did.

He didn't even need to see Galvatron to know the right way to react.

* * *

Cyclonus sang loudly, sure the song meant something to him but it felt like an empty gesture to sing at this point.

Nothing was going to come back to him and this was all turning out to be fruitless.

At the very least he's made some passing traveller or beast very happy.

He sighed, quietly and sadly guessing he was to fill out all parts of the song, a duet with himself.

"Promise me that all you say is true" Cyclonus perked up.

It was quiet and muffled, but he heard it.

Beautiful.

It was sung with emotion and clarity behind it, the sound wavering as the source's feelings dripped through like morning dew gently dropping down from sun-kissed leaves.

Without seeing or even knowing the source it felt heartbreaking enough to hear it sung with such sadness.

Phenomenal.

It had been far too long since he'd ever heard someone put such strong soothing tones into a song, the emotion and feeling behind each syllable!.

He scurried forwards, sensitive hearing pinpointing the direction of its source quickly.

If only they sang the next line.

They were pausing, faltering, not continuing to sing.

Did they get shy and back out already?

Cyclonus stumbled to a stop when instead of a moving tune a different line of the song came out through the forest.

"ALL I WANT IS FREEDOM!" It was loud, it was near screeched but it was clear, it was vibrant.

So fuelled by pent-up emotion it was like a miniature explosion of sound piercing the night air, a defiant statement of heartfelt emotion.

It immediately went quiet again and soon Cyclonus's feet splashed as they came to the edge of the lake.

Undisturbed, peaceful and most importantly, quiet.

He waited but nothing happened, no more song, no more emotion.

He almost wondered if he imagined it.

No one would be out singing like that for no audience in a forest, after all, it should be on a stage.

His feathers bristled at the cool night breeze and in indignation.

With only a couple wingbeats Cyclonus flung himself to the air, there was only one thing he could think of needing to do.

He sailed higher than usual and flew back over the forest, even with the pale light of the moon the opal glinted like a tiny fallen star and Cyclonus hoped he was not visible from the ground at this height, or at least that the night sky would blur his shape to something unrecognisable.

The forest was silent.

Eerily so.

He'd already circled a twelfth time by the time he spotted movement, near the lake.

The moon had already reached its peak at this point, the lone being moving around having waited for so long to come, Cyclonus supposed he might've scared them a little by trying to locate them through their singing.

He flew in a tighter circle above the opal, watching it carefully.

The forest twitched slightly as the lone figure moved, quietly and slowly as if fearful and Cyclonus regretted his actions slightly.

Of course, he wanted to meet them, but he didn't want to come off as so bad or intimidating.

By his honour, he had to meet them! They saved his life!.

A glimmer hit his eye and Cyclonus squinted.

The opal had been moved, he could see it in a figure's hands but they weren't moving.

They simply stood and seemingly stared at it.

Spreading his wings out Cyclonus began to glide, it was hard to keep in such a tight circle while gliding and stay quiet but he couldn't disturb them.

Not now.

He didn't know how they'd react to seeing him coming down towards them.

He was not a short, or small, Rito.

Stifling any noise before it left his beak Cyclonus made a turn and glided down silently to the edge of the lake, the sand muffling his landing perfectly.

He immediately turned back to the clearing, he'd been walking up and down so much over the past week, he knew where all the branches had fallen, where all the soft dirt was, where all the loose stones were.

A silent, stealthy approach was not too hard, and if the suspicions he had were correct, standing between the clearing and the lake meant he would succeed even if he made noise.

The figure was shorter than he was, the moonlight speckled their wet skin gently, not enough to make them a beacon of light from the sky but enough to show their slumped figure in the setting moonlight.

The way they handled the opal.

Distracted and absent-minded.

They wiped the dirt off the underside of it and sighed, claws wrapping around it gently.

Cyclonus wasn't expecting them to spin around so quickly to head back to the lake, it made his feathers involuntarily fluff up for a moment at the sudden movement.

Bad move.

He really hadn't intended to come off as scary but maybe looming in the darkness with fluffed up feathers making him seem just that little bit larger after silently coming up behind them was…. Yes, okay, absolutely the worst thing to have done.

The shriek was loud and had almost every single instance of wildlife in the vicinity awake and fleeing in an instant.

Cyclonus grabbed his head, reeling at the still-going shriek which only, finally, faltered and stopped with a loud thud as the shrieker in question tripped and stumbled over backwards, collapsing to the ground.

What a way to meet.


	6. Chapter 6

Fighting back the prickles of fatigue that were irate that not only had he spent most of the day flying out here but now, almost all night up and about waiting for this floundering fellow, he waited as calmly and as awkwardly as possible for them to calm down enough to talk.

Cyclonus watched nervously, shuffling on the spot until the Zora had in-turn stopped.

Back to the silence as the two stared at each other.

Now it was Cyclonus's turn to get a good look.

They were shorter than he was, noticeably so, their stocky figure said chubby but the glances of how they looked when moving said that was just cover for some impressive muscle-work underneath.

Their primary colour was a purple that would no doubt be quite vivid by the time the sun rose, and surprisingly jarring whites covering their face, arms and lower body.

With some slight amusement, Cyclonus could compare it a little to looking like the Zora was wearing a purple shirt.

The other thing that screamed out to Cyclonus and all his military training, betraying the Zora's strength from under its outwardly soft appearance was all the scars across its body.

Common for regular travellers as many pathways were not safe but they were definitely from the claws of beasts and warriors.

Even if he did not slay them, surviving was proof enough of strength.

Glaring red eyes were focused intently on Cyclonus, the Zora remained tense, looking ready to spring at any moment, yet continued to sit and do nothing.

"Look, no weapons" Cyclonus immediately tried to defuse the tension, he held out his arms, showing that he was wearing nothing but the most basic of Rito clothing and no scabbard or other weapon was attached to his belt or back.

The Zora gave a quick squint before glancing away, and Cyclonus doubted he believed he had any weapons on him in the first place and he knew immediately he had found what he was looking for.

"Hello, you're the one that saved me, right?" He went to confirm it anyway.

Cyclonus noticed a fresh cut along the Zora's jaw as it nodded silently pulling it's webbed feet up under itself and slowly standing up.

Yes, definitely shorter.

But still tense and ready to jump.

"I just wanted to thank you, in person I mean, for saving me. Normally Kargarocs aren't too much of a trouble but it became so with the one cutting my back up…" Cyclonus offered a friendly smile and the Zora just looked plain awkward, "I was… beginning to wonder if you'd ever show yourself… I'd figured out you were likely a Zora and given how things are… right now… with our kinds, I understood why you wouldn't want to show yourself outright" They looked a bit shocked to hear the last part.

"You knew?" They finally hissed, sounding more guarded than angry and somehow that made Cyclonus feel more on edge.

"Yes," Cyclonus felt his plumicorns raise as he spoke, "You didn't exactly… cover your tracks as you went back and forth from the lake, there were still obvious, webbed, footprints about" they then folded back down again, slightly sheepish as he admitted to his findings, quietly leaving out the part where he himself never bothered to act out on said 'clue' just continued to hope he'd show himself willingly.

"Oh," The Zora looked equally sheepish realising he was absolutely correct and he had made little attempt to actually hide evidence of himself, only trying to keep his actual self out of sight.

"Look, my name's Cyclonus, what's yours?" he perked up a little, offering a feathered hand out to the Zora who looked a little taken aback by the gesture and if anything drew his own arms back tighter still clinging tightly to the opal.

"Mmmm" The Zora mumbled under his breath a little, eyes darting away as if looking for some kind of sign to continue the interaction and how to do so, "Uh" His voice remained quiet and almost hoarse, no doubt from his earlier shriek, "It's… Galvatron"

"Well, Galvatron, thank you"

Geoblitz…

Damn it he should've said Geoblitz!

Galvatron gently bit at his own lip, remembering the false name he'd made in order to avoid giving out his real one.

Admittedly only picked out because he liked saying the '-litz' part and it also began with a G so he was less likely to forget it.

At least now he knew the Rito's name.

He could now vocally blame the Rito who would no doubt sell him out as if any decent Rito soldier would just let some Zora stroll off without a care in the world.

The opal was heavy and tough in his hand as he squeezed it tightly, using its weight and tangibility to 'anchor' himself in the situation better. At the very least it could also make a decent bludgeoning weapon should this Rito try anything funny.

He just looked soft.

Except now the Rito was smiling at him as if he was expecting him to think he was genuinely grateful for having his life saved by a sad sack of blubber.

Smug git even pointing out that he'd given himself away by leaving footprints too, maybe he should've just dumped him on the shore and left.

Made him want to fight.

Was it a fight to get out of the actual social interaction, or a fight to pretend he wasn't uselessly staring at them with zero ideas what to do?

He must've defaulted back to his basic-scowling angry-face at some point because Cyclonus was beginning to look a little nervous and it took a conscious effort to pull the scowl off his own face.

"I just" His voice was as deep and smooth as his singing suggested, "By my honour I am eternally grateful to you for saving my life after I made such mind-bogglingly thoughtless actions" The Rito bowed quite suddenly and Galvatron barely held back the urge to flinch at the movement, "How could I ever repay you?"

Galvatron baulked and made some kind of stunned noise as Cyclonus suddenly stood upright again, looking at him, genuinely meaning his statement.

"Uh. Uuuuhhhh" The weight, the weight in his hands, of course, "But you… left… these?"

Galvatron found he was uselessly presenting the opal back to its original giver.

"Oh… yes, um, admittedly they were more to try and get you to show up, I mean there's plenty about, not that I mean that in a bragging… sort of way… I mean a lot Rito tend to like getting some bright, flashy, visually pleasing items so it wasn't hard to find a collection of things that would… y'know, get your attention?" His voice raised in pitch a little as he spoke a little unsure of what to say himself and accidentally made it out as a question.

"Oh," Galvatron drew the opal back to his chest.

Silence quickly fell on the both of them and Galvatron desperately raked his mind for something to do or say, why had it been so long since he'd had any social interaction that wasn't formal or business related?

Not that he could've used that sort of thing for a reference anyway.

With the one friend he did have they tended to trade a few insults as a means of communication and this overly honest and a bit-too-genuine Rito probably wouldn't take to that.

Especially not right now.

Galvatron ran his tongue across the back of his teeth and rubbed his face as he felt his skin prickle a little as a slowly building heat rose as the sun's rays began peeking over the horizon like a set of worms squirming from the soil as the rains came.

A claw ran over the cut he gave himself and he flinched a little more at the memory of doing it rather than actually touching it.

"I'm sorry are you alright?" Cyclonus seemed to be looking at him, concerned.

"Yes!" Galvatron snapped with more force than he intended, "I just cut it on a rock, I wasn't… paying attention when I tried to avoid detection… earlier" he lied.

"Oh… Sorry" The Rito apologised and Galvatron once again had to stop himself from uttering some kind of stunned, confused noise.

"You're… apologising a lot" Galvatron uttered instead, a little stunned.

"Ah, So- I mean, I'm just grateful to you! I really am! You saved me!" Cyclonus beamed at him in that ridiculous genuine way again and Galvatron wondered if he should've just sat back and let creeping loneliness settle back in, it was his oldest friend after all.

Galvatron sighed, they weren't gonna come back anyway.

This was just a fleeting encounter.

It felt… nice to have some gratitude expressed for his actions for once.

Better than watching some 'captain of the guard' get the credit for the actions you took that saved lives.

It didn't feel so bitter.

Maybe he was losing his touch?

Galvatron pondered if he'd have to go trample a flower or kick some traveller's mule to try and return 'balance' to himself.

Oh well, one last time before he left.

He whispered and the Rito frowned.

"I'm sorry, what?" Cyclonus didn't hear what he said but then his plumicorns stood on end as he had some kind of realisation and Galvatron found himself watching the cranial adornments fascinated, "The water! Has it been too long for you? The sun is rising, come on the lake isn't too far"

The Rito's tail feathers flicked upwards as Cyclonus stood to the side no longer 'blocking' the way to the lake, a wing outstretched as if to allow him passage.

Deciding he at least felt more at home closer to his actual home and nearer to some snacks Galvatron sighed and headed to the lake.

Wasn't like he'd planned to do much today other than sleep and act like life was 'okay' anyway.

The rising sun was speckling the pathway with warm shafts of light, the occasional beam glinting brightly off the opal, still held tightly in Galvatron's webbed hands.

At the lake's edge, he went in until he was waist deep, feeling the wet sands and smooth rocks beneath his feet as the waters touch soothed him on instinct.

Cyclonus only came in to his ankles.

"Do you mind… singing for me again?" Galvatron had to pause midway as he worked up the nerve to look at Cyclonus to ask this.

Eye contact, his greatest social enemy.

"Sing for you?" Cyclonus cocked his head.

"Yes, to repay me, I won't ask for more, just one more song" Galvatron clarified.

"Oh…" Cyclonus smiled softly the edges of his beak turning upwards like he'd just thought of the perfect song, turns out he'd just thought of the 'perfect' answer, "On one condition, you sing with me"

The sputtering laugh of derision at the mere remark escaped him before any other thought could pass his mind.

"What!?" Galvatron rocked with laughter, toes gripping the rock he was on tightly as his opal-free hand splashed about, he could practically feel his gills open wide with the need for more oxygen as he couldn't stop laughing, "Me? Sing!?"

He snorted, once, twice and his hands snapped to his face to try and halt the embarrassing noise.

What was this stupid, slightly upset and vaguely offended looking Rito thinking?

Glancing from side to side with a droopy expression on his face and…

"Oh god… You're serious aren't you?" Galvatron had to wobble to right himself in order to get one last word out before his world was filled with water.


	7. Chapter 7

The mess of bubbles and sand was only broken by the occasional swing of purple as with uncoordinated thrashing Galvatron eventually righted himself.

The stone he was standing on probably wasn't as stable as he thought then.

Now up to his lower chest in the lakes waters, he desperately wiped water off his face as if trying to wipe the 'error' out of his mind as he remembered he was not alone.

Cyclonus had come in up to his knees now, hands vaguely outstretched as if he were stood between going to help and merely requesting if he could help.

Galvatron snorted.  
"That was your fault"

"I only made a request of my own!" He squeaked indignantly.

"Yeah!... Well, I'm the one that saved your life and it was meant to be my request anyway!" Galvatron argued back.

"Could consider it as payment for the things I've left you?" Cocky little Rito…

"Hey! You said they were just gifts to try and make me show myself!" Galvatron pretended his first instinct wasn't to back away.

"What's so bad about asking you to sing with me? You sang last night!" Cyclonus breathed as if actually excited by the proposition.

"That… was…" Galvatron scowled into the water remembering the sweep of emotions and memory that lead him to slip up so badly.

"Nothing to be ashamed or afraid of, I thought it was quite ni-" Cyclonus wasn't going to let it go.

"Galvatron is NOT afraid of anything!" He barked before Cyclonus could finish in an almost knee-jerk reaction, upset at the implication.

"Fine" The Rito's cockiness seemed to back down a little, "I will just sing most of it then! You can sing the backing tunes if you think you're up to it"

Determined little shit.

With that Cyclonus fulfilled his promise to repay his saviour.

There were no lyrics to be had, not a word was spoken.  
A melody as sweet as any songbirds flitted out as if each note were a flock of tiny birds themselves dancing in the morning air.

It would suffice at least.

He could sing with better tones, better pitches and he had, but he kept the song subdued and simple.  
It would only get it's true beauty now if someone filled in and supported his tune.

Otherwise, this would be such an underwhelming parting song, doubly so for a song sung to a saviour.  
Probably because he was an arguably very selfish Rito.

He'd heard it once now he wanted more and if it took bruising his own morals and principles to get it, he apparently was fine with it as he continued on with his scheme.

He spied the Zora's eyes thinning as he scowled, picking up on notes that didn't quite fit - not without the supporting tune anyway - and the somewhat empty nature of the song as if it were a dancer, waiting for its partner to arrive.

Success.

Cyclonus could see the water vibrate irately as the Zora growled to itself, its face still twisted as if many thoughts and emotions were trying to enter through a single small opening and had 'backed up'.

Galvatrons head going back slightly was the only warning he got before the Zora blew out a bunch of bubbles into the water.

Taken aback and immediately concerned he'd overstepped his boundaries and pushed things too far, his tune faltered and became offkey as his mind panicked.  
The Zora squinted at him and his worried expression before diving back under the water causing Cyclonus to come to a shaky stop.

He was left in silence as Galvatron did not resurface.  
The wind ruffled his feathers slightly, the unnatural manner of the breeze prompting Cyclonus to turn around.

Thin, gangly, grey with a few red feathers and a dull blue tinge to the tips of his hand-feathers Cyclonus greeted another member of his own patrol as they landed behind him.

Below the water, Galvatron felt he was surely visible to those at the surface, but he needed to take a break from the situation, besides he could see something grey up above and knew that was not a normal birds flight path, so he submerged.

Hiding, he was still privy to the words spoken above, especially as the newcomer had a sharp voice.

"Just what are you doing all the way out here?" It demanded.

"Pleasure to meet you too, cousin" Cyclonus responded dryly and Galvatron arched an eyebrow.

"I allowed you to come back here out the kindness of my heart-" Galvatron probably could've heard Cyclonus snort from the bottom of the lake, "- and you go wandering off! Just how is that a way to repay your commander!"

"I… I told you, I saw Hylian tracks when I woke, I wanted to see if they travelled back through here" Cyclonus sighed as if he'd explained this a thousand times.

"Yes, just one Hylian out of many is just so conveniently going to stroll back through here? Get a grip and just try and think rationally for once!"

"Fine, you caught me, while I was here there was a rare fish I found and caught, it was delicious and I want to try and catch another one so I could identify it for sure and find a way to get more!"

Galvatron rubbed his face, tasty fish, even if he did find a fish tasty Galvatron probably caught it.  
He found himself absent-mindedly sticking his tongue out at the surface of the water as if his gesture would be seen.

"Whatever" The cousin huffed, "Get back to the camp, you can re-engage in a border patrol later, and if you're insisting, bring back some fish for the rest of us" and with that the grey Rito took off back to the base leaving Cyclonus to sigh and slouch, only shuffling back slightly as he remembered he was knee-deep in the water.

There were a few moments lost to thought as both of them debated about saying, or doing something, alas nothing was mentioned.  
Barely stepping out of the water Cyclonus caused a splash as he took off, following his cousin away from the lake ending their strange nightly encounter.

Galvatron was left floating aimlessly in the water again, unsure, curious, feeling small.

It really HAD been too long since he spared a few words of conversation…

No, no it wasn't, he didn't need to conversate.  
He didn't need anything he didn't want.  
He most certainly didn't need anyone else.

So says Galvatron, so it is true.

With more force than necessary Galvatron pushed against the lake floor, sailing back to his home as quickly as possible.

He barely reacted when he swam straight into the wall with force, merely reeling back and scowling at himself while ignoring the pounding throb he inflicted upon himself.

He resorted to giving his chin something to complain about as he made an ungainly, frustrated and somewhat aggressive flop into his bed.  
He didn't get any sleep after all.

There was a day of nothing, then late in the evening of the day after that Galvatron couldn't ignore the heavy splash that jumped into the lake's edge.

"Galvatron!" A familiar voice bellowed, the Rito's powerful vocals making the name rattle around the area.

So loud and booming, Galvatron instinctively retreated from the noise.

"Galvatron! Are you there?" Cyclonus's voice became softer and Galvatron could collect himself enough to respond to a tone like that.

Cyclonus stood where he had the day before Yesterday, the lack of sleep on that night prompted him to oversleep the next day, his oh-so-caring commander had immediately ordered him to spend the rest of the day cleaning as punishment.

He hoped Galvatron had not been waiting for him… though why would he? He had stepped out of line the last time they met…

The water remained calm, unmoved, the only thing tampering with its surface was the occasional fish who swam close by.

Maybe he was just out, hunting and gathering food, Cyclonus had no idea what this fellow's schedule was after all.

The lake seethed angrily, hell, it practically felt angry before the seething even began.  
Bubbled and flung water thrashed noisily as something large broke the surface but only for a moment.  
Only to do one thing.

Cyclonus let out a loud, undignified squawk as he was roughly forced backwards by something large, cold, wet and slimy hitting him in the face definitely leaving a bruise.

Staggering for a few steps before quickly falling to his rear Cyclonus made a blind scrabble for the thing covering his face and eyes, pulling the thing off with a wet pop.

He'd been smacked in the face with a fish.

"Tasty fish!?" Galvatron squawked angrily and loudly before ducking back down under the water before Cyclonus had a chance to look at him, leaving the Rito dumbfounded.

"Uh, uhhh thank you?" Cyclonus eventually settled on chirping to the water, glancing between it and the fish in his hands multiple times.

That got Galvatron out.

"Thank you? Thank you?!" The Zora stomped angrily until it was half-way out "I throw a fish at you and all you have to say is 'thank you'!? What kind of response is that!?"

There was silence again, the only noise being the huffs produced by Galvatron.

"I… like this fish" Cyclonus finally, and quietly, conceded holding up the grey fish so the ring-like markings on its side were plain for all to see.

"I threw it at you" Galvatron felt everything vanish like a deflating balloon as he struggled to understand exactly what this Rito was thinking. Flaming weirdo.

"Yeah, but I WAS being rude" he answered as if that cleared everything up.

Galvatron made a noise that could only be described as a bunch of letters strung together randomly even if they made no sense next to each other.

"Um," The Rito was evidently confused at the noise as his plumicorns flattened down and he glanced to the side as if some sort of physical clue would present itself.

"What is with you?" Galvatron threw his arms out.

"I don't follow" Cyclonus squinted a little, noting down the body language and expressions of the Zora to figure out what he actually meant. It would be useful in the long run if he were to come back here again to know of any potential 'signals'.

"I threw a fish at you and yoUR REACTION WAS 'THANK YOU'!?" Galvatron broke into a yell before returning back to normal again, "And you shrug it off as normal because you were 'being rude'! What is with that!?" Galvatron had taken to throwing up large splashes of water as he paced back and forth while speaking.

"Oh…" Cyclonus sounded like he still did not understand, "I was rude, I did deserve admonishing for my rudeness, it's not becoming of a warrior… well, to someone who's not an enemy"

Ignoring the fact he was at least five percent clearer on what the Rito was thinking, or at least there was enough to piece it together had Galvatron stopped to think about it and their last encounter for a moment more but instead he spun around with a sneer  
"Not an enemy? NOT an ENEMY!? You ARE aware our respective kings have been at each other's throats since… FOREVER!? You think I am not an enemy? Have you seen this band on my arm!? Do you know what it means!? You think I'm NOT an ENEMY!?"

Cyclonus seemed rightfully taken back by the tirade, the sheer speed and force at which this Zora rejected and put up 'barriers' at the idea of something nicer, more pleasant than senseless side-taking and squabbles that had befallen their respective species.

"Well… You did save me from drowning… and from bleeding out… and from starving… aaaand from being an easy meal for passing monsters" Cyclonus listed off the multiple, potentially fatal things that could've occurred due to his injuries and bad decision making.

"Oh… Y… yeah, I guess so" All anger vanished in an instant.


End file.
